The Sea's Moon
by Aureum
Summary: PercyOC. What's meant to be will always be, like the sea and his moon that pushes and pulls in equal balance. Best friends find their way back together, and the fates seal the promises of tomorrow. Follows the story from beginning till the end.
1. Prologue

A/N: Hello! This is the prologue to my new story, and I hope you will enjoy it!

Summary: PercyOC. What's meant to be will always be, like the sea and his moon that pushes and pulls in equal balance. Best friends find their way back together, and the fates seal the promises of tomorrow. Follows the story from beginning till the end.

* * *

Prologue

~l*l~

Barely standing without toppling over, the little boy with a black mop of hair waddled around. His green eyes were bright with curiosity. A mischievous grin spread across his cheeks as he moved closer and closer to the little girl opposite him. Her hair was long, pale and white, the most beautiful thing he's ever seen, which wasn't much for a young boy like himself. She looked at him with mercury eyes and smiled brightly. She was like a light to him, and he was oh-so drawn to it. Settling down next to her, he asked, "Wha're you playin' wi', Ari?"

"My daddy bought me a doll," Ariadne showed him the doll with pride, "Will you play wi' me, Perce?"

He nodded eagerly in agreement and so they played for the rest of that afternoon on that living room floor as two adults watched them happily on the sofa behind. They were whispering quietly and taking pictures of the four year-olds as they started playing dolls. Thus far, the knight was on a quest to save the princess from a fiery castle of the horrible dragon. The giggling children could be heard and all was well that day.

"Would you like some blue chocolate chip cookies, Percy? Ariadne?" the voice broke through the playing children.

"Yes, mom!"

"Yes, Miss-us Jackson."

"Will you like some, John?" Sally asked kindly, but he shook his head. Looking fondly at his daughter, he ruffled her hair, "Leave the cookies with the children, Sally. They're the little cookie monsters! In fact, Ariadne and I should be leaving soon...We've imposed long enough."

"Noooooo," Percy hugged John's foot, "Don' leave. I wanna play wi' Ari."

"Well, how about Ariadne and John stay for dinner?" Sally suggested, receiving cheers from the two children. John smiled and chuckled slightly, "Well, alright. Thank you, Sally."

"It's not a problem, John," Sally placed a hand on John's shoulder, "Now, how does Mac n' Cheese sound?"

After hearing more cheers from the children, she rushed them out with John and a plate of cookies to keep them satisfied. She hummed as she cooked and listened to the sound of TV and children bickering, and how she wished it would last forever, but Sally knew that it wasn't going to and trouble will just be around the corner. Once the Mac n' Cheese was done, she called the children and John back into the kitchen. John helped Percy and Ariadne into their respective seats before helping Sally with setting up the table and serving the food as Percy and Ariadne talked about broccoli monsters and magical ice cream.

"Mis'r Davis," Percy said as they began their meal.

"Yes, Percy?" John looked at the boy with curiosity.

Percy took Ariadne's hand and held it tightly, grabbing her attention. "One day, Imma gonna marry Ari," he said boldly, "and I promise I'm gonna make her happy and protect her because she's a princess! She'll be my princess!"

The little boy paused suddenly and looked at the girl with a worried expression, "Is that okay?"

His concern diminished when she nodded happily and said, "Uh-huh!"

"We'll see. We'll see!" John laughed.

* * *

"Do you have to go?" Percy muttered. He was staring at the ground with a miserable expression in his face, too miserable for a seven-and-a-half year old. In his hands, he played with Ariadne's smaller, softer, delicate hand. Their foreheads rested against one another and whilst Percy felt miserable, Ariadne tried to stay positive.

"Hey, I'm not going to be forgetting you. We've been best friends since we were two years old, and don't forget I'll still be in America, Perce," she whispered softly, "I'll come back to you, I promise! You said we'd always find each other, right?"

"I did. I promised I would always find you," he whispered back.

Ariadne smiled at him brightly and took something out of her pocket, "I know it's not very nice but I made this. You see they're identical and we have one each. They're friendship and promise bracelets. I chose black, green, grey and white for your black hair and green eyes, and for my silver eyes and platinum hair. It's so you can look at it when you miss me and remember that I'm not so far away."

She tied one of the bracelets around Percy's wrist and went to do the same for herself when Percy stopped her, and tied the bracelet around her wrist himself.

"You're my best friend, Ariadne," Percy looked at her sadly with a pause, not knowing how she would react, cooties-and-all, "I promised mom and John I would marry you and protect you and make you happy. I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

"You are not going to take that bracelet off and I'm not going to take this bracelet off, and we're going to see each other soon," Ariadne said with confidence, "So, you have to promise me you will stay safe, protect yourself and protect Sally."

"I promised," he said earnestly, and she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek followed by a strong hug. When she pulled away, she gave a wry smile and said, "I have to go now or dad would be worried. Call me when you can!"

"I will!" he yelled after her.

* * *

Three months later, Sally pushed open Percy's bedroom door, not knowing what to say to her son. "Percy?" she asked.

Percy looked up from his position on the floor, "Mom?"

Sally decided to sit next to her son and put an arm around him, she really didn't know how to break the news to him. Percy frowned at her actions, "Mom?"

"Percy, there was some news on the TV just now, and," Sally paused, "there was a fire in Washington DC, and a body was found and identified as...John Davis."

"Our...John?" Percy asked slowly in shock.

"Yes. Our John."

"An- and Ariadne?" Percy asked quickly, in panic, "And where's Ariadne? Was she found?"

"No," Sally said and watched her son relax slightly, "Ariadne is missing. Nobody's seen her."

"But-but I just talked to her yesterday!" he cried, "I talked to her on the phone yesterday! Why is she missing? We have to go find her, mom! We need to go find her! She's looking for us!"

"Oh, Percy," she held him tight in her embrace as he cried, "The Police are looking for her...and we'll go out tomorrow morning and look for her too, okay? She'll be fine. They'll find her and you'll find her, okay?"

Whether Sally was reassuring her son or lying to herself...she no longer knew.


	2. 01 l The Yancy Academy

**01 | The Yancy Academy**

 _Percy_

~ l * l ~

Walking down the hallway, Grover and I made our way to the swimming pool. It was early Sunday morning and barely anyone was awake, or even at school as a matter of fact. I decided not to go home this week in hopes of avoiding Smelly Gabe. I wouldn't be able to avoid him for long anyway as the summer holidays were just around the corner, and I was bound to be locked up in the apartment with that arsehole. I was playing with the bracelet around my left wrist. I always found myself toying with the strings when I was thinking or simply missing _her_. When we reached the pool, I took of my shirt and swam a few laps, basking in the water – soothing and comforting.

Grover never swam. He said he couldn't and that he wasn't allowed, which was odd but I didn't press on it. I knew not everyone could swim and take comfort in the water like I did. More likely than not, I was the odd one. Anyway, like always, Grover decided to time how long I could spend under the water and each time the results were always better than the last. I was musing and mulling over my weird new best friend, Grover, and if mom would be happy to have him over. Well, I was sure she'd be happy to have Grover over, but Smelly Gabe was a different story.

My head broke to the surface.

"Eight minutes, Percy!" Grover called, "Gee, man. I don't know how you do it."

I smiled at him, but before I could reply, the doors to the pool opened and in stepped a girl. She was wearing her goggles and her hair was pulled back into a swimming cap. She settled on one of the chairs on the other end of the pool and jumped right in. Grover and I watched her swim a few lamps before she stopped and held to the sides to catch her breath. I was probably staring, and I probably looked stupid.

"Hey!" I called.

She turned to look at me, "What do you want?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to say hi," I frowned.

"Well, you have. Now, if you'll excuse me," she said bluntly, before continuing to swim. I wasn't sure what took over me, but I swam with her. I think she took that as a challenge, because before I knew it, we were racing each other lap after lap. She was a strong swimmer, but in the end, I was ahead by a few seconds and decided to stop.

"You're good," I tell her as she came up.

"Thanks," she huffed, "You're not so bad yourself."

"Are you new here?" Grover asked from above us, "We've never seen you at the pool before."

"Yeah, just moved," she confirmed, "I'll be starting school tomorrow but I'm a boarding student."

"Us too," I said, "Oh yeah, this is Grover, and I'm Percy."

She stiffened at that, "Percy Jackson?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" I frowned. It was weird but Grover looked shocked and concerned, before his face contorted into a dark expression.

The girl pulled back her goggles and swimming cap to reveal long luscious platinum blonde hair that flowed around her like a soft halo and stormy grey eyes that had hardened yet still shined with optimism and curiosity, and my jaw dropped. She frowned and looked at me as though she was trying to find something or memorize my features, "Perce?"

"Ari?" I whispered, "Is that you, Ari? No, it can't be you, you're dead. You're supposed to be dead."

The girl that looked very much like my missing-and-dead best friend moved closer and closer towards me, "It's me, Perce. It's me, Ariadne. I'm not dead...I-I got away. I got away in time. I've been on the run for some time, but I promised I would come back to you. Please let me explain."

"You're my Ari? M-my Ari?" I asked again, and when she nodded, I pulled her towards me and held onto her in a crushing hug, "What happened? Are you okay? Where have you been? It's been five years! You better start explaining what happened."

She pulled away and smiled brightly, and instantly I missed her warmth. It was surreal like a dream.

"How about we go for a shower and I'll meet you outside the cafeteria in half an hour?" she suggested, "I'll tell you everything then. I promise."

"Okay," I sighed, not really wanting her to leave, "You have a deal."

* * *

Grover was extremely curious about Ariadne, and wouldn't stop pestering me about her. I gave him a brief explanation and told him he could join us later, before I disappeared into the showers. Then I was standing in a simple blue shirt and jeans nervously beside Grover waiting outside the cafeteria. I was staring at the ground, happy, when a pair of black flats came into my view. I looked up to find Ariadne standing before me in a blue shirt and jeans. We looked at each other for awhile, in silence, before laughing at our matching outfits.

"Shall we?" I offered her my arm.

Ariadne smiled brightly and slipped her hand to rest on my arm, dragging me with her on a joyous skip, "We shall."

It was still early in the morning and the cafeteria was mostly deserted with only a few students and teachers here and there. A few of them gave Ariadne curious looks but she ignored them as she picked out her food, and I glared at them.

Ariadne giggled and smiled brightly when she noticed my glares, and I could feel myself smile at her. Being slightly preoccupied, Ariadne had picked out my breakfast of blueberry yogurt with cereal, a blueberry muffin and bottled water. She even went so far as to pay for the food without me noticing, dragging me to a random table and sitting me beside her. Grover trailed us all the way, looking at us curiously and with...suspicion? That didn't sit well with me either, but I brushed it off as I watched her chatter on animatedly about her re-inventing my mom's blue cookies.

Once we had settled down and started eating, Ariadne continued talking about how much she missed my mum's food, and I couldn't agree with her more as I smiled fondly. I listened a little longer before I stopped her, "Please, Ari. What happened?"

She took a deep breath and told her story, "Five years ago, in Washington DC, Dad and I were still settling in and school was just horrible."

I chuckled. I could remember her complaining about school over the phone. She smiled at me too but her eyes were far off and distant, "I remember calling you every day, Perce. Well, maybe not everyday, but almost everyday. Dad and I had a little house and it was nice and cosy. Dad would drive me to school every morning before he went to work, I would take a bus home, and dad would come home and try to cook us some dinner. If the days were tough, he would bring back a box of pizza and we would sit in front of the couch and have some fun."

"It was just one night, after talking with you over the phone, I was preparing for bed and I went down to get a glass of milk. I remember it clearly. Dad was downstairs with a book and he was reading it, fully engrossed. He looked up at me when I said I wanted some milk, smiled and ruffled my hair before pouring it into my princess cup. You know the one? That was when we heard the door creak open. I don't know what it was but there was this _monster_ at our door and he was talking to dad and dad pushed me behind him, and I had no idea what was going on. Before I knew it, he had a hunting knife in his hand and he was telling me to run. 'Run! Go! Run for your life, Ari,' he said, 'and don't look back'. So I ran out of the backdoor, and I ran across the street, when the house exploded in fire. I was so scared but I ran and ran and ran."

Ariadne paused for a while, tears welled up in her eyes, and I took her hand into mine. She closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't know how long I ran but soon I was in the woods and that creature was chasing after me in the night. Suddenly, I don't know what happened, but a man appeared before me and he killed the thing. He said my mother sent for him. Ironic, isn't it? I've never even seen my mother or met my mother and he was telling me that my mother sent for him. Anyway, he told me to follow him and since I didn't have anywhere to go, I did. I know, I know! He led me to a cabin in the woods and told me to stay there. He came to visit often and brought food and clothes with him, usually. In the end, he told me that he was my uncle, and said he was called Apollo?"

Grover's eyes widened and his jaw hung loose, as I snorted.

"I know right? What kind of parents name their kid Apollo? Anyway, he left me with some books and told me to study them. There were all kinds. Maths, science, english, history, and even some fictional books too. Once in awhile, people who called themselves my uncle or my mother's friends would come to visit me and teach me some cool stuff saying that my mother sent them. But in all three years, I have never seen her. My mother, that is. It was fine after a while but I got bored living on my own in that bloody wooden cabin so I asked if I could go to school. I went to a school near the cabin for a while, but that was ruined when I almost blew up the school. So my godmother, Selene, brought me to this small apartment in the city and I went from school to school and now I'm here, I guess."

I blinked at her, not knowing what to say. Across from me, Grover looked pale and seemed as though he was comprehending what she said too.

"I know, it's crazy," she sighed, "So, tell me what you've been up to Perce and how is Sally? She doing alright?"

"We're doing okay," I said, "I've been kicked out of every school I've been to, so this is my sixth so far. Mom's doing great, aside from the fact I'm going through schools faster than the schools are building. She also married to this guy, Smelly Gabe. I hate him. He treats mom like crap, but she won't listen and she deals with it. I don't know how she does that, Ari, but she tolerates his crap and I don't get it."

"That must be tough, Perce," she said, looking at me with understanding like she knew and understood everything that I said, before laying her head on my shoulders, the rest of breakfast forgotten.

"I don't know why I'm complaining," I sighed, "You had it much worse."

"It's okay. I've gotten over my grief and shock and the initial weirdness," she said cheerfully, "Dad's probably in a better place right now and I do have people who care about me, I guess, two weird uncles and a godmother, and now I've found you again. Life is good."

"It is, isn't it?" I smiled, tilting my head so my cheek rested upon her head. It was a comfortable silence and I basked in her presence. Grover was awfully silent and I was about to ask him what was wrong when Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, came by our table, asking Grover for a favour. I introduced Ariadne to our teacher and they exchanged their greetings before Mr. Burner left with Grover. Ariadne and I looked at one another in amusement, before deciding to head outside for the rest of the day to catch up on lost time.

* * *

A week later, I went home with Grover and Ariadne in hand to meet my mom for the weekend, and just a word about my mother before you meet her.

Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.

The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad.

I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad. She has no pictures.

See, they weren't married. She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he sailed across the Atlantic, and he never came back. Lost at sea, my mum told me. Not dead. Lost at sea.

John, Ariadne's dad, told her a similar story about her mother. They had met when he was on a hunting trip, and they started hunting together for a while until he found out who she was. She was an important person and he knew of her, and he had wanted to leave but couldn't find it in himself to leave her, so they continued a secret relationship, but Ariadne's mother has been missing just days after Ariadne was born.

I walked into the little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Smelly Gabe was nowhere to be found, thankfully, but chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet and the windows were open to let air in, but traces of moldy garlic pizza still reeked the air.

"Mom!" the door creaked open.

"Percy? Is that you?" Sally called, and I made my way toward the kitchen, telling Ari to stay quiet as she followed behind me and to wait around the corner.

"Hey, mom! Guess who I brought home, mom?" I smiled as I round the corner to the kitchen.

"Oh, Percy!" she hugged me tightly, "You've grown since Christmas."

I groaned, "Mom! Guess who I brought home today?"

"Is it that friend of yours? Grover?" she asked with a smiled.

"Yes," I smiled, "but there's another person."

"A girlfriend?!" she gaped, "Where is this young lady?"

I'm pretty sure I turned as bright as a tomato as I heard Ariadne giggle and turn round the corner, chiming, "Hey Sally!"

Mom looked at her with shock, "Ariadne? Is that you?"

They met each other with a tight hug and mom began to smother her as Ariadne giggled and answered all her questions. Grover had came in shortly after Ariadne and watched them with amusement.

"I see why you were so happy and excited now," mom beamed at me, "You always did say you were going to marry Ariadne, be her knight in shining armour and protect her!"

I didn't think my face could get any hotter or redder as mom laughed, but I was pleased to see Ariadne blushing a pretty pink at the comment.

"I've known since the two of you were only four, that you would look adorable together, and it seems I'm right," my mom stifled her last chuckles and joked, "I've already started planning the wedding."

"Mom!"

"Sally!"

I looked at Ariadne. Our eyes met and I quickly looked away. Grover and mom began to laugh again and I groaned.

This couldn't be more embarrassing.

* * *

In May, our sixth-grade class took a field-trip to Manhattan – twenty-nine mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.

Most Yancy field trips were like this. Pure torture.

But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was the one leading this field trip, so I had hopes. I know Ariadne was incredibly excited, so I tried to be excited too. For her.

I had hoped this trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once, I wouldn't get into trouble, but boy, was I wrong. There was alway trouble at field trips. Ariadne says she shares the same sentiment, though she thinks the trouble she gets into is hardly as bad. Like at my fifth-grade school, we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway. The worse Ariana has gotten into was accidentally letting animals out of their cages at the Zoo, which is still bad, but not _that_ bad. Hardly any dangerous ones were let out...but well, you get the idea.

Either way, I was determined to be good on this trip, for my mom's sake and for Ariadne's sake. I was on high alert to stay away from trouble.

All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl was hitting Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut-butter-and-ketchup sandwich. Grover had always been an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he was frustrated, and he was probably held back a couple of grades. On top of that, he was crippled and excused from PE for the rest of his life.

Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this school trip. Plus, Ariadne was sitting in the far front with Mr. Brunner, talking animatedly. I was agitated and she wasn't there to calm me down.

I was on the last of my nerves.

"I'm going to kill her," I mumbled under my breath.

Grover tried to calm me down as he dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."

"That's it," I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.

Ariadne stopped mid-sentence and shot me a questioning look as I was dragged back into my seat, directing Mr. Brunner's attention towards the back just as Nancy Bobofit sent another piece of her lunch our way. She turned scarlet as Mr. Brunner gave her an earful, but looking back on it, I wished I decked her anyway.

When we arrived, I hurried out of the bus as fast as I could and instantly found Ariadne, who was standing next to Mr. Brunner. They both smiled at me, and Ariadne took my hand as Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.

He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of old black and orange terracotta pottery that had survived for over two thousand, three thousand years.

He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.

Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.

From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was the devil's spawn.

Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.

Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"

It came out louder than I meant it to. Ariadne groaned beside me.

The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.

"Mr. Jackson, " he said, "did you have a comment?"

My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir. "

Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"

I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"

"Yes, " Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because ... "

"Well... " I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and-"

"God?" Mr. Brunner asked.

"Titan, " I corrected myself. "And ... He didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters-"

"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.

"-and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans, " I continued, "and the gods won. "

Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids. '"

"And why, Mr. Jackson, " Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"

"Busted, " Grover muttered and Ariadne giggled.

"Shut up, " Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.

At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears. I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir. "

"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed, "Ms. Davis?"

"It does, sir," Ariadne intoned beside me.

"And it matters because…?" Mr. Brunner said, not satisfied with the two-word answer.

Ariadne blushed slightly, "In my honest opinion, sir, it matters because whilst mythology is mythology, many mythologies are based upon true stories, perhaps only exaggerated and passed down over time, its details distorted for it to be considered a mythology. It gives us insight of society and people. But other than that, the Greeks and Romans grew up with these stories, and they are pivotal in history as the founding fathers of society and in understanding modern society."

Mr. Brunner smiled at her, "Thank you, Ms. Davis. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. And these stories have been told throughout generations, leaving lasting impacts on the ancient civilizations. The Greeks are indeed, as Ms. Davis has kindly put, crucial to the development of modern society as we know it. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"

The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses. The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.

Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.

Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.

Grover, Ariadne and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school-the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere. Or at least, that's what I thought.

"Can I have your apple?" Grover asked beside me. I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it. Ariadne frowned at that, but didn't comment. I was thankful for the silence.

I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her in weeks. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.

Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.

I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends-I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists-and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.

"Oops. " She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray- painted her face with liquid Cheetos.

"If you like Grover, just tell him, Nancy," Ariadne said smoothly, "No need to resort to such underhand techniques to flirt and make him notice you."

I laughed, and that was all it took for Nancy to turn red and slap Ariadne across the face. I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper. " But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.

I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"

Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.

Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see-"

"-the water-"

"-like it grabbed her-"

I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that Nancy had hurt Ariadne and I was in trouble again. I looked at the girl beside me, her left cheek was red and her jaws were hung in shock. I pulled her into my arms and held her tightly, resting my chin atop her head despite her being slightly taller.

However, as soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey-"

"I know, " I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks. "

That wasn't the right thing to say.

"Come with me, " Mrs. Dodds said, "You too, Ms. Davis."

"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her. "

I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.

She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.

"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood, " she said.

"But-"

"You. Will. Stay. Here. Do I make myself clear? "

Grover looked at me and Ariadne desperately.

"It's okay, man," I told him. "Thanks for trying. "

"Honey, " Mrs. Dodds barked at us. "Now. "

Nancy Bobofit smirked.

I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare. Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.

How'd she get there so fast?

I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.

I wasn't so sure.

I went after Mrs. Dodds, half-dragging Ariadne with me.

Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between us and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.

I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.

Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.

But why bring Ariadne along? Apparently, that wasn't the plan.

I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section, but except for us, the gallery was empty.

Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling. It snapped Ariadne out of her shock, and she looked at me in distress.

Even without the noise and the look in Ariadne's eyes, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it, and Ariadne's fear that just made the entire situation worse…

If it could get any worse.

"You've been giving us problems, honey, " Mrs. Dodds said.

I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am. "

She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"

The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.

She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt Ariadne. It's not like she can or is allowed to hurt me or Ariadne.

I said, "I'll-I'll try harder, ma'am."

Thunder shook the building.

"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you and your accomplice, Ariadne Davis, out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."

I didn't know what she was talking about and Ariadne looked equally as confused.

All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room. Or maybe they've realised that Ariadne had been coming up to the boys dorm. Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.

"Well?" she demanded.

"Ma'am, I don't...we don't... "

"Your time is up, " she hissed.

Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me and Ariadne to ribbons.

Then things got even stranger.

Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in one hand and a bracelet in the other.

"What ho, Percy! What ho, Ariadne!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air towards me and the bracelet towards Ariadne.

Mrs. Dodds lunged at me first.

With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword-Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.

Mrs. Dodds spun towards Ariadne with a murderous look in her eyes.

She looked so frightened but the bracelet was around her wrist and a bow was in her hands. She took an invisible arrow and shot at Mrs. Dodds. It pierced her shoulders and Mrs. Dodds roared in pain.

Ariadne ran towards me, pulling me with her as we ran across the room. My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.

She snarled, "Die, honey!"

And she flew straight at us.

Absolute terror ran through my body. Ariadne was shooting her invisible arrows, piercing Ms. Dodds sides, but never hitting the mark. I had to do something. So I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.

The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!

Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching us.

We were alone.

There was a ballpoint pen in my hand. There was a silver bracelet around Ariadne's wrist.

Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but the two of us.

My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or some-thing.

Had I imagined the whole thing? But one look at Ariadne told me that it was not my imagination. She took ahold of the hem of my shirt, tugging it as we went back outside.

It had started to rain.

Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butts. "

Ariadne said with a frown, "Who?"

"Our teacher. Duh!"

I blinked, "What are you talking about, Nancy?"

Nancy just rolled her eyes and turned away. Glaring at the girl, Ariadne had simply got a better grip on my arm and dragged the both of us to where Grover was.

"Where is Mrs. Dodds," Ariadne asked Grover.

He paused and wouldn't look at us before he said, "Who?"

"Not funny, man," I told him, thinking that he was messing with me, "This is serious."

Thunder boomed overhead.

I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrellas, reading his book, as if he'd never moved. I went over to him, dragging Ariadne along with me.

He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensils in the future, Mr. Jackson."

I handed Mr. Brunner his pen, not even realising that I was still holding it. Ariadne had taken the bracelet off her wrist and was holding it in front of her, returning it to Mr. Brunner.

"What is this, Ms. Davis?" he asked her.

"You gave it to me?" she said, confused, "and I'm returning it?"

"Why would I have a bracelet? And why would I give you one?" Mr. Brunner intoned, "Did you not buy that at the gift shop?"

"I-I did," I said, "I bought it for Ariadne but she was under the impression that you were letting everyone take a look at it. I was embarrassed. Sorry for the misunderstanding, sir."

"Quite alright," Mr. Brunner said amused as Ariadne looked at me with wide eyes, jabbing me in the ribs with her elbows.

"Sir," I said, "Where's Mrs. Dodds?"

He stared at me blankly, "Who?"

Ariadne frowned, "The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher?"

He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "There is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are the two of you feeling alright?"

Ariadne quickly excused us from Mr. Brunner's presence, staring at me with unease in her eyes as we joined Grover. Something wasn't right and we both knew it.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm so sorry! I was writing this and I never got to finish it until recently! Chapter 2 is on its way, and hopefully I'll have it up within a week or two!**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited! Your notifications reminded me to write!**

 **Arianna Le Fay: When I started this story, Ariadne was going to be the daughter of Selene, but later whilst planning the story, it didn't fit into certain plot lines and I had to change it, but I liked the name Ariadne too much to change it .**

 **Once again, thank you everyone! I will update soon!**


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